Zeller OK easing into support role

January 21, 2007|TOM NOIE Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- As Notre Dame sophomore power forward Luke Zeller eased his 6-foot-11, 245-pound frame onto a tired-looking table in a Joyce Center hallway, the structure groaned and sagged. The same could not be said about the attitude of the former Indiana Mr. Basketball, someone often upbeat and optimistic through the most trying times. On Friday, Zeller was less worried about his diminishing minutes and more concerned that a lecture class tonight would interfere with watching his Colts play for the AFC Championship. Zeller's offseason commitment was rewarded in November with a spot in the starting lineup. But when the house lights dimmed before last week's game against Seton Hall, Zeller's spot in the introduction spotlight was occupied by freshman Luke Harangody. It may be some time before the McDonald's All-American slides back into the starting five. "It's tough at first, but then you kind of get over it and realize that you are still on the team," said Zeller, expected to work as a reserve for the third consecutive game today when No. 20 Notre Dame (15-3 overall; 3-2 Big East) hosts South Florida (10-9; 1-4). "You're still good to go and ready to play. You just have to keep working hard and go with it." A combination of factors contributed to the lineup switch, the first this season necessitated by basketball issues. Harangody, who has earned Big East Rookie of the Week honors three times, has adequately adapted to the speed and quickness and size and strength of college basketball. He's scored double figures in nine of the last 10 games and gives the Irish an immediate physical low-post presence while Zeller remains most comfortable on the perimeter. With starting point guard Tory Jackson still learning how to pick and choose his spots to score, coach Mike Brey needed someone else in the starting lineup who could get him some points. Enter Harangody. Exit Zeller. Coming off the bench is not new for Zeller, who worked in a reserve role most of last season. The difference now is that there is no guessing as to if he'll get in the game. It's when. "It's actually easier that way, to be ready and not be bitter about it," Zeller said. "I'm ready to come in as soon as I'm called on." As a starter the first 16 games, Zeller averaged 16.5 minutes. Recent matchups have worked against him. He played a season-low three minutes against the four-guard lineup of Seton Hall, then followed with nine minutes in Wednesday's loss to an athletic bunch from Villanova. But he also scored six quick points after confidently connecting on two 3-point shots. "We've got to get him in there," Brey said. "He can make some shots and he's been much better with the ball." To be on the floor more, Zeller knows he has to be more aggressive in going after it off the glass. The team's tallest player currently is sixth on the squad in rebounding at 2.6 per game. "I wish I could rebound better some nights," he said. Zeller's improvements since last season, when he often looked indecisive and unsure, have been buried by the rapid rise of Harangody and the startling strides of junior Rob Kurz and sophomore Zach Hillesland. The Washington, Ind., native has boosted his numbers nearly across the board, be it his shooting percentages, scoring average or minutes played. But because the other three big men have done so well, Zeller's steady steps have been dwarfed. "Those three guys put pressure on him to just want to keep getting better and chasing it," Brey said. "Man, do those guys put pressure on you to be good every day." Zeller may have to be good this afternoon against one of the league's best-kept secrets. Center Kentrell Gransberry has given USF an immediate inside presence. A transfer from Louisiana State, where he would have been a backup to Glenn "Baby" Davis, the 6-9, 270-pound Gransberry led the nation in rebounding (13.7 per game) during his final season (2004-05) at San Jacinto (Texas) Junior College. The Bulls' lone interior threat ranks in the top 10 of five different Big East offensive categories. He's averaging 16 points and nine rebounds in league play. "It's just a knack for the ball and knowing where it's going to be," Gransberry said of his rebounding ability. Gransberry has had a double-double for points and rebounds in five of his first 11 games since becoming eligible, but the Bulls have lost four of their last five. Today closes a stretch of four of six league games on the road, where the Bulls are 0-11 since joining the Big East. "We're a scrappy little team," said Gransberry, who saw snow Saturday for the first time. "We'll be ready to compete."